N
othing could be more British than
enjoying a jolly, folly holiday in some
of the nation’s most unusual hotels and
guesthouses. There are plenty of places to
stay where the buildings themselves are
at least as memorable as the countryside
around them.
So if you have designs on a short-break or
staycation that gives you ultimate bragging
rights over your friends and neighbours, here
are BLOC’s selection of the most fun and
frivolous places on offer.
Live like a king of the ewoks (those cuddly
forest-dwelling critters from the Star Wars
movies) by taking a trip down the M3 to the
5 star, luxury country house hotel Chewton
Glen in the heart of the New Forest National
Park.
The owners have built 12 eco treehouse
suites high in the canopy above the grounds.
The floor-to-ceiling glass walls give an
incredible panorama of the valley below. You
can also enjoy the view, with champagne in
hand, relaxing in a hot tub on the veranda.
Guests are whisked to their palatial pad
by golf buggy and a breakfast hamper is
delivered daily for you to dine among the
treetops. (chewtonglen.com)
AWAY WITH THE BIRDS
Another unusual high-rise available to rent
is Suffolk’s stunning House in the Clouds, set
in one acre of private grounds, it overlooks
Thorpeness Golf Course and the beautiful,
nearby Heritage Coast.
The famous folly boasts five bedrooms, a
dining room and the magnificent “room at
the top” which provides guests with their
peerless views. (houseintheclouds.co.uk)
It was built in the 1920s by charmingly
bonkers Scottish barrister and railway
designer Glencairn Stuart Ogilvie, who
wanted to create the ideal holiday village “for
people who want to experience life as it was
when England was Merrie England”.
The Grade II listed building started life as
a 50,000 gallon water tower which Ogilvie
disguised it to be in keeping with the mock-
Tudor and Jacobean style of Thorpeness. It
survived being hit by gunfire from the nearby
anti-aircraft battery during the Second World
War.
HOUSE IN THE CLOUDS
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